a review of 寂静的地球

The Quiet Earth is a hidden old 'indie' Sci-Fi gem from New Zealand. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories, and this is an original take on the theme. I particularly enjoyed the first half, where a man wakes up in his bed to find out he seems to be the only human left on earth. I loved the surreal desolation of the nearby city he enters. As The Quiet Earth was made before moving subjects could be erased using CGI, it all feels very authentic. I also loved the believable way the main character handles his odd new situation. He does the things I would do, such as living in a beautiful house, Initiating a shopping spree in a shopping mall, and generally enjoying the good things in life. After all, there's no one else left to care about what you do. To my regret, The Quiet Earth lost most of its momentum in the second half of the film, being moderately ruined by some unconvincing plot and character development. Nonetheless, I liked this odd beast of a Sci-Fi film.